any developer or publisher that's only in it for the money is of less than no interest to me anyway
Money is the only reason any of these companies exist. If you want studios more into the "art" of game development stick to indie titles.
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any developer or publisher that's only in it for the money is of less than no interest to me anyway
10 or so years ago I would pirate a game, but I've grown up, make a lot more money, and I don't mind plunking down first day prices for a new game. Problem is, nobody makes a game worth playing on PC anymore. My money now goes to Steam sales, or releases there since the prices are usually cheaper than me going to the store (store price + tax + gas + my time).
Solution: fix the delivery system, and make something that showcases the PC and what it can do. I built my sig rig to game. Most that's been done on it was allow my friends to oggle over Crysis.
No, it will never be PCs again. The console userbase can be monetized and raped in a way PC users won't tolerate. Sure, PCs will continue to be the best platform for gamers, but consoles will get the bulk of the attention. People forget that publicly traded gaming companies have a fiduciary duty to screw you the customer as hard as possible. There is no obligation on them to release a quality product at a reasonable price. Instead, they are bound (by the corporate laws of whatever state they register in) to break the games up and milk you into paying as much as possible. It's a lot easier to get away with this on consoles so we see corporate officers meeting their fiduciary duties by shifting to console development. Try to get away with bullshit on the PC and you'll get 1000 one-star Amazon reviews.
The reason why there aren't more original IPs these days is thanks to pirates. Companies are forced to play it safe to ensure that they can stay alive. Same with music. Can't be daring anymore, you risk going under. So you stick with safe, mainstream music.
What, you say, EPIC is doing fine? Of course they are, they are playing it safe. But look at how the small PC game studio has practically disappeared from the landscape. They can't afford give their games away for free to 75% - 90% of PC gamers, so they run off and make iPhone apps.
It pains me that the best argument you pirates come up with is that you pirate games because they suck. Did you ever consider that games suck because you pirate them?
What, you say, EPIC is doing fine? Of course they are, they are playing it safe. But look at how the small PC game studio has practically disappeared from the landscape. They can't afford give their games away for free to 75% - 90% of PC gamers, so they run off and make iPhone apps.
The reason why companies are afraid to innovative ideas is because it takes 10X+ as many developers as it did in the past.The reason why there aren't more original IPs these days is thanks to pirates. Companies are forced to play it safe to ensure that they can stay alive. Same with music. Can't be daring anymore, you risk going under. So you stick with safe, mainstream music.
Cause people can't pirate on iPhones?What, you say, EPIC is doing fine? Of course they are, they are playing it safe. But look at how the small PC game studio has practically disappeared from the landscape. They can't afford give their games away for free to 75% - 90% of PC gamers, so they run off and make iPhone apps.
It pains me that the best argument you pirates come up with is that you pirate games because they suck. Did you ever consider that games suck because you pirate them?
Piracy is a factor for game sales, what I don't like is how the numbers are hyped up on how they calculate losses. People will take shit when given the chance, even if they could have paid $0.01. Did the people who decided to pirate even know? Or just saw a link on a torrent site and DL the games?
If you don't like dealing with the companies and their excuses and DRM, support the indie developers.
I find this annoying. Developers constantly complain that piracy is killing their PC market, or their sales, but never back any of this up with facts.
In contrast, there was a study done which shows the exact opposite: Pirates are the gaming industries best customers.
Cause they're not ever worth $60. EVER!
Personally, Dragon Age Origins is a $30, and that's because it got silly having to pause the game ever few seconds to setup combat.I feel Borderlands and Dragon Age was worth their $50-60 price tag. I even bought all the expansions and DLC for them. I actually bought Borderlands on 360 and PC. Not all my friends like PC gaming, but I still want to game with them.
MW2 definitely wasn't worth $60. Maybe $20. BF:BC2 was probably $25-30. Buy map packs for them? Hell no. I don't even have MW2 installed. I haven't gone online with BC2 yet.
Personally, Dragon Age Origins is a $30, and that's because it got silly having to pause the game ever few seconds to setup combat.
Borderlands is worth $20 cause it's cheesy and cliche. The cell shading is a cover up, and the wasteland idea was done better in FallOut3. Plus, the characters look like rejects from Teen Titans.
FallOut3 on the other hand was certainly worth $40, and the only reason it isn't higher is because it's out of budget range and people will begin finding ways to get it cheaper anyway.
Hey, that's another thought the game industry should think of. With the ruff economy we have today, they should really rethink their prices. Drop their prices low enough and less people will pirate. Drop it low enough and it might be a smarter thing to do. Pirating isn't free if you think about it, cause you have to waste electricity to download, and then burn the game onto a dual layer DVD, and those suckers aren't cheap. Put those games on Steam and gamers will forget about piracy. Too convenient and cheap to bother making DVD's.
Its obvious by now that forceful means of preventing piracy like DRM isn't going to work. Developers/publishers need to find new means of encouraging users to purchase a game. Rather than focusing on the pirates and trying to stop them, they should focus on legit users instead, reward them or whatever that would make it more advantageous or beneficial to be a legit user so to encourage others to be one too.
I admit I'm a huge fan of Steam and their achievement system. The achievement system alone is enough to encourage me to purchase single player games which anyone could otherwise just pirate and it makes no difference. But if we purchase it on Steam, we have this extra achievement system stuff to go along with the game. To me, small matters or differences like this could actually encourage more people to purchase a game.
Oh, and I love Steam promotion and discounts too, heh
Something I hardly see at the local games retail store
Fallout 3...I hate that stupid VAC system. You didn't like Dragon Age's pausing, yet somehow were perfectly fine with all the pausing when using the VAC system? There was absolutely no way around that stupid VAC system, until you advance further into the game. Even then, you might as well just keep using it, cause your accuracy takes a turn for the worse otherwise.
Reward the consumer is always a positive, the problem is, with what? Free content is as easy to pirate as the game itself. It can also take away a revenue stream (DLC type stuff). Achievement system isn't all that great, considering I've bought like 20 games on Steam and I don't care at all about the achievement system it brings along. Be it on Steam, Xbox Live, or PSN.The achievement system is a horrible to begin with. It's just replay value for those who think a number score has any meaning, other then you played a lot of games and did stupid boring crap nobody else would do.
They had something like this as far back as the 70's, it's called a SCORE! Get the highest freaking score there is, and if you wanna show it off post it on your facebook or something. At least it'll have more meaning.
I bought Sin Episodes from Steam like over a year ago and the game was $15. It has everything I'd ever want from a $15 game. Boobs, guns, bad language, and a cheap price. Was it game of the year? Hell no, but it was a damn good game for $15. Had it been $60 on Xbox 360, it would have been the shittiest game ever made.The Steam promotions and discounts are way awesome though. They gave away Portal for free (even though I own it already). Tropico 3 is 75% off right now (not that I'd buy the game or pirate it either). The preloading is another bonus. As soon as the game is released, I'm playing it without having to hit up the store and pray the game isn't sold out.
Steam does good with their prices.
I find this annoying. Developers constantly complain that piracy is killing their PC market, or their sales, but never back any of this up with facts.
In contrast, there was a study done which shows the exact opposite: Pirates are the gaming industries best customers.
The numbers are there, if you do a little research.
for example, bit boys World of Goo enjoyed a 90% piracy rate..
the numbers are also out there (i'll let you research to find it) for the COD4 piracy rate..
when you start to dig a little and actually accept the facts you will realize how much of a problem piracy is on the PC. I won't try and convince you but i suggest if you really care to know to start looking into it and you'll find the numbers.
Sometimes its unfortunate that people don't listen to the old school PC developers like EPIC and iD and what they are saying, these are people that their heart and soul belonged to the PC platform that have been driven away by a big slap in the face. You can stick your fingers in your ears and say "LA LA LA LA LA" all you want but doesn't change what is going on or how much of an issue it is.
But it sure does take the fun out of the game for the pirate. No multiplayer, no achievements, basically only single-player. With things like TF2, L4D, and other fps', where's the fun in that?that doesn't stop piracy.
This. A year ago I wouldn't have even thought of using Steam to buy games because of the whole downloading thing (thanks go to New Zealand's crappy, limited internet) but now it's a serious consideration simply because I don't see DRM going away, and really, Steam seems the most tolerable and sensible.If by piracy killing PC gaming you mean developers using DRM to count piracy that cripples PC games killing the PC game market.
They don't know it, they can't prove it, and neither can anyone else.They said in clear, plain English they make more money with console then they do with the PCs (because of pirates)... so they focus on consoles. Not that hard to read... try doing it sometime.
It's true. World in Conflict is the last game that I actually liked and thought the money I paid for was worth it. Oblivion was the last game in first-person perspective that I thought that about. Fallout 3? Nope. NFS: Shift? Nope. DA:O? Nope. Portal doesn't count because it's free, but really, I didn't feel that it was worth more than about $5 anyway. Many free games I play are longer.Gamers will constantly say make good games, then we'll buy, your lost money is because of shitty product.
I'll be buying it, not sure why the complaint.Have you seen Bulletstorm, epic's next collab project ?
yeah, that's why pc gaming is dying.
how many copies do you think Bulletstorm will sell?
I bought Sin Episodes from Steam like over a year ago and the game was $15. It has everything I'd ever want from a $15 game. Boobs, guns, bad language, and a cheap price. Was it game of the year? Hell no, but it was a damn good game for $15. Had it been $60 on Xbox 360, it would have been the shittiest game ever made.
Steam does good with their prices.
The numbers are there, if you do a little research.
for example, bit boys World of Goo enjoyed a 90% piracy rate..
the numbers are also out there (i'll let you research to find it) for the COD4 piracy rate..
when you start to dig a little and actually accept the facts you will realize how much of a problem piracy is on the PC. I won't try and convince you but i suggest if you really care to know to start looking into it and you'll find the numbers.
Sometimes its unfortunate that people don't listen to the old school PC developers like EPIC and iD and what they are saying, these are people that their heart and soul belonged to the PC platform that have been driven away by a big slap in the face. You can stick your fingers in your ears and say "LA LA LA LA LA" all you want but doesn't change what is going on or how much of an issue it is.
Have you seen Bulletstorm, epic's next collab project ?
yeah, that's why pc gaming is dying.
how many copies do you think Bulletstorm will sell?
How do you know that? Anecdotal evidence?most people pirate the full version and buy it if they like it...get used to it
Money is the only reason any of these companies exist. If you want studios more into the "art" of game development stick to indie titles.
My ass they just need to look beyond publication on CD. Just slap a reg/use code on the product and attach it to stream. Built in easy to use anti piracy code.